Corporate support: the unsung hero of real estate

Ray White Double Bay is best known for selling multi-million dollar real estate and the office recognises that this success is largely due to the work of the corporate support team.

At the 2014 Real Estate Institute of NSW (REINSW) awards Ray White Double Bay’s general manager, Sarah Bester, received the Award for Excellence in Corporate Support, shining a light on the team that works behind the scenes.

“If you had asked me this last week, I would have said the highlight of my career was being appointed General Manager of Ray White Double Bay.

“Today however it’s receiving this award. Whilst this is a great personal achievement for me, I hope it is also an example to others that it is not all about the sales agents and property managers success – corporate support is the backbone of any real estate business.

“Real estate agents are focussed – and rightly so – on selling property. They aren’t able to commit the time that’s needed to work on the other aspects of their business. There is a lot of paperwork and compliance that needs to be dealt with and good corporate support is vital to ensuring the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed,” Sarah explains.

Having worked with the Ray White Double Bay Group for 13 years, Sarah has developed and grown the support structure of the office.

“Funnily enough, I chose Real Estate for it’s compliance aspects, rather than the love of property itself. Coming from England, I started at Ray White Double Bay in August 2001 as sales support. Knowing little about the Australian property industry, I needed a starting point for learning.

“In 2003 I started managing the legal and compliance aspects of the business and after a year on maternity leave I returned to work and became general manager in 2008,” Sarah said.

Overseeing all aspects of the business, Sarah says her work is not simply a job, but a representation of who she is as a person.

“I am available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist to ensure we are the most professional office and providing that point of difference to our competitors. What I love most is supporting the sales and property management teams on their journey as they navigate the technical side of a transaction.”

For Sarah, there’s great pride in the structure of the Ray White Double Bay business.

“Corporate support have their talents and sales agents and property managers have theirs. It’s about a team of professionals, joining talents to fill each other’s gaps – that’s our team!

“We are a family and it shows in all areas of the success of the business. I am very proud to call myself, General Manager of Ray White Double Bay,” she said.

Sarah says that career opportunities in real estate aren’t limited to selling and leasing.

“Being a salesperson is not an easy role and we are not all suited to it. There are many exciting roles in the Real Estate industry – if you are willing to learn and grow, the possibilities are endless.

“We have everything from trust accountants, campaign coordinators, sales coordinators, marketing managers and personal assistants – all of which are integral parts of our business,” Sarah concludes.